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Henry Abernathy (Multiverse)
Henry Abernathy 'is the younger brother of Victor Abernathy, the modernized analogue of Helvah Sei'Dist, and a major reoccurring character in the multiverse after the Break. Henry appears in every verse, representing Helvah in the various worlds. He remains fairly consistent in each iteration, with his ultimate fate being the major variance. Like Helvah before him, Henry is inextricably connected to his brother, and Victor's overall mental health heavily influences his development. Who he is and what he becomes relies almost entirely on the same event that ended Vischias' life: the Incident. In all v1 (pre-Reset) scenarios, Henry is in fact (canon) Helvah, repurposed into another verse by Fred's meddling and mentally conditioned to believe the scenario. As of v2, each individual variant of Henry is a person in his own right, unlinked by the process of the Reset. Personality Like his counterpart, Henry is brilliant, an analytical mind approaching situations from a logical perspective. His powers of deduction and reasoning border on inhuman. Due to his privilege, he often comes across as arrogant, often correcting those around him out of sheer habit. He is a know-it-all, just like his source. Despite this, Henry is generally moral, and often sticks to what he thinks is right. This good nature is somewhat belied by a imperious attitude which, nonetheless, gives him a rather convincing veneer of confidence. How false this impression is varies wildly. While presenting himself as relatively shameless, Henry is very secretive of his private life, and seldom discusses it. Everyone's business is his, but his is none of theirs. Henry is a bit of a meddler, sticking his well-educated nose into anything that even ''remotely involves him. This backfires with fair consistency. As a result of his often privileged but difficult childhood, he tends to be an observer, habitually watching those around him for signs of their motives. Though generally a pragmatist, he is hampered by an unfortunate sense of what is right, a problem that sometimes wins out over his powers of reasoning. When he does choose to intervene, he seeks out ways of doing so creatively, often without accepting credit for the act. The only thing stronger than Henry's sense of justice is his sense of self-preservation. When push comes to shove, he will do what it takes to survive--even if it means abandoning his lofty principles to do it. Role Henry sees himself as a footnote in the story of his brother's life, which parallels Helvah's own position in his youth. In the Multiverse, this is true; he is essentially a side-character, present only to act out his habitual role as the victim. He is there to observe Victor as he goes through the motions of approaching his persistent doom, left to help, intervene, or else to watch helplessly as his fate unfolds. Unbeknownst to him, each canonical version of Henry v1 is intrinsically linked to what will be Helvah in the Reset. He is a silent witness, unconsciously keeping score of the development of each variant of his troubled brother. In a way, his existence as Henry could be considered a punishment for his lack of involvement the first time around. Helvah was content to simply avoid Vischias, rather than to make any effort to address his building instability. As a result, he spends much of his time as Henry as a witness, watching helplessly as the suffering Victor goes through is highlighted again and again. Each verse offers him the opportunity he skirted before: he can attempt to be the difference he has always known is needed, or else stand by and watch his nightmare come about all over again. The choice is entirely his. Origin and Variant History UNS Henry in the Unnamed Story is the most similar to Helvah initially, with the greatest range for deviation. His story still runs parallel to that of his source, but leans closer to the original context, before the more modernized variants developed. Henry is the younger son of Lord William of Sapphire and brother to the Witchhunter. A young sorcerer, he is away at an illustrious school of magicks, where he hones his craft with research and study. Reserved and thoughtful, Henry is initially little more than a source of information for his rebellious older brother, with whom he shares a reluctantly servile relationship. The two of them trade letters along V's adventure. He has a deep connection with his otherwise distant father, with whom he shares the Gift of mentalism, regularly communicating with him at a distance. When the plot to assassinate V is uncovered, Henry is doubtful of their father's involvement, and hurries home to try and mediate what he assumes will be an ugly fight. He does so having no idea how ugly it can get. Determinant: V stages a coup, either violently v1 or politically, with help v2. * v1 On the road home, Henry receives a psychic message from his father, warning him to stay away from home. He immediately rushes back, arriving just in time to see what V had done in his absence. Riddled with guilt and rage, Henry banishes the lingering Navigator to the Grey, then takes control of V's men and turns them on him before walking them off the cliffs to their deaths. As the sole surviving member of his house, Henry ascends to the rank of ruling lord. ** A much older Henry introduces himself as Helvah, his true identity concealed due to his work as an Inquisitor to the Corvite Sentinelle. He presents as a potential ally to Caspian in the fight for mage rights. He has earned a reputation for both cruelty and pragmatism over the years, a fact exemplified by his familiar: a chained, mutilated poltergeist that he wields like a nightmarish dog. Its presence at his back is a constant reminder of what he lost, and the cost of losing focus. One lapse and the bound specter will turn on him, ensuring his end. It is a reality he lives with. * v2 Henry arrives home in time to meet with V and Fred, and the three of them confront Lord William about his involvement in the assassination attempt. Shocked by the revelation of his father's plans, Henry stands by V, disavowing any interest in replacing him as heir. When William turns on them, he is witness to V's ability to resist his influence, and correctly identifies this as a Gift--thus making V a sorcerer as well. This revelation nets V the throne, and Henry his brother's favor. ** With V having succeeded his father, becoming Lord of Sapphire, Henry's ultimate fate is as of yet unrevealed. Ficverse The main variant, which acts as the template for every subsequent version. In his younger years, Henry is an honors student, and gains early admission to a college of his choice due to his achievements. He later takes a position as a professor, teaching sociology and sexual psychology. This is where he connects with Frederick, then one of his students, and they begin a relationship. Due to Fred's influence, they are familiar with each other much earlier than in the Original Timeline. Henry grew up well aware of Victor's developing issues, having been the only witness to much of his behavior over the years. The relationship between them is strained, at best. Though sympathetic to his obvious suffering, Henry is leery of his brother's motives, knowing full-well what he is capable of. Despite this, he is one of the only people Victor can talk to--and he knows it. Determinant: Victor breaks down, resulting in the Incident v1 or Fred intervenes, avoiding it v2. * v1 Post-Incident, Henry is the only survivor, having been late home due to his coursework. He arrives on scene in time to run across Victor, fleeing the scene Afterward, he remains the only connection Victor has to the outside world, visiting him in prison out of reluctant duty. Trauma from the latter outcome results in Henry developing intimacy issues that cripples his interactions with others. ** He unwittingly sabotages his relationship with Frederick, and loses his job, resulting in a downward spiral that truncates at his brother's execution. Left at the bottom, he can only climb up, and attempt to make peace with his life. He eventually seeks counseling and reconciles with Frederick. * v2 Fred is successful in stabilizing Victor and he maintains his sanity, averting the Incident entirely. The brothers subsequently maintain their shaky relationship, which improves over time. Henry remains Victor's strongest connection in their household, aside from Isabella, allowing him to act as a sounding board for his brother's struggle to maintain his mental health. ** Unburdened by a reality in which he has lost everything, Henry grows to become a confident and fully functional individual. His relationship with Frederick blooms, and they later get married. Heroverse Henry's development in Heroverse is identical to Ficverse in the lead-up to Victor's final breakdown. The signs of Victor's mental illness are clearer here, as he is witness to his frequent hallucinations. The extent of his condition is clearer as a result, which just drives Henry further away. His brother's worsening state and strange bouts of personality shift lead Henry to suspect that Victor might be a superhuman of some form--a fact which is later confirmed, one way or another. His studies in school shift suddenly from psychology to Powered development, where he earns distinction with his writings on the topic. His work earns him a place in the APTF, an English government agency tasked with the control of superhumans. His research proves invaluable in their efforts. When Victor disappears, Henry utilizes agency resources to find him, tracking him to Gate City. His intentions when he finds him vary by branch. Determinant: Victor breaks down, either mirroring the Incident, v1 or attacking Fred instead v2. * v1 Henry receives a cryptic call from Victor--as the awakening Patient--warning him not to come home. His resulting call to the police leads to Victor's arrest following the Incident. With his family dead, Henry's resentment for Victor blooms into hate, his stance on superhumans darkening as a result. His intention in finding him is to have him stripped of his Gifts and imprisoned, or else removed as a threat for good. ** Much of his work focuses on the blight of Powered people, framing them as not to blame for their Gifts, but in need of caging nonetheless. He is in the process of pushing for forced power suppression in the UK when Changeling surfaces in the States. Following his murder by SILENCE, Henry dutifully arranges Victor's funeral, and has him buried in a false-named grave. He settles himself with the knowledge that the fate of his family could have been avoided, had he only spoken up. * v2 After Victor's disappearance, Henry discovers evidence that what he was going through was a late superhuman awakening, a discovery which he confronts his parents with. His writings gear towards the lack of understanding and support for the Powered community, his research toward methods to alleviate their suffering through optional suppression. His work with his mother to create such options gains both public and private attention. ** Following the Eldritch Event, Henry offers himself as an ally to Fred and Victor, reporting his brother as dead to the agency. He remains on staff to keep a finger on the pulse of government efforts to control superhumans, and acts as a bridge to reconnect his brother to the family over time. He becomes one of few people Victor can trust. Other Variants Henry is a staple in multiple minor verses, appearing even in Fractures. His purpose is often similar to the others: he is there to act as a foil to Victor, to either oppose or support him, dependent upon his choices. These lesser variants are questionably "canon", as some of them exist in disconnected verses. '''Survival: Henry is part of a survivor group, struggling to get by in the aftermath of the apocalypse. While not necessarily the leader of the party, he is certainly pulling the strings, his opinion being one of the major influences in choices made for the group. Time spent in a dire scenario has had a dark effect on his mind, rendering him a fatalistic pragmatist. His decisions are based more in logic than pity, and he frowns on unnecessary expenditures of both effort and resources. This includes rescuing people, despite their dwindling numbers. He has theories regarding the mental capabilities of the Dead, and has suggested their usefulness as defensive tools, assuming nullification is possible. This view is considered inhumane by most of his companions, but he refuses to let it go, seeing the Husks as little more than rabid dogs. He is revealed to be the brother of the unknown bandit leader when he is taken hostage. The result is his being thrown in a ring with multiple Dead, expected to defend himself or die for the amusement of his deranged brother. The effort takes a solid left when the final act is revealed to be a missing member of their party, until then thought simply lost. The revelation unravels him completely, and results in the end of the verse itself when Fred intervenes. PKMN: Henry appears as a child, no more than seven, accompanying Jonathan as he leads a search effort for a runaway Victor. Though not instrumental, his persistent presence at his mentor's side implies a level of concern for his brother that has not yet been doused by the latter's developing issues. His presence in these moments when witnessed act as proof to Creepykid V that someone does care for him, a fact he often denies. v2 When Victor finally returns home, his stories of his travels inspire Henry to seek the same path when he is old enough. re//WIRED: For the first time in any verse, Henry is a casualty in the Incident, replacing his absent mother as a victim. Nadia expresses her grief in an unhealthy way; utilizing the resources of her cybernetics company, she designs AV100 and HC100--androids modeled after her sons--and convinces them that they are her sons. This goes badly for the former, a too-convincing copy of Victor. The latter, a copy of a teenage Henry, takes it better. Unaware of his nature, he acts as his mother's assistant, playing the part of the good son until AV100 discovers their origins. Infuriated, AV attempts to kill her, forcing HC to face him and be dismantled as a result. HC100 is repurposed as an assistant app, and distributed to the public market, its Primary AI backup remaining with Nadia. Despite being an imitation of the real Henry--now buried--HC organically develops many of Henry's personality traits, instinctively shielding his creator and offering advice to a lost and troubled Fred. HC knows what he is, and whether he understands the moral implications of his creation, he does understand that AV must be stopped. Utilizing a vast network of information, HC assists in the hunting of the rogue AI, becoming a valuable ally against him. Trivia * Like Helvah, Henry's middle name belongs to his grandfather. He is equally pleased about this fact--which is to say, not at all. * Whether due to promises made by the Djinn, the meddling of the Elders, or simple fate, Henry always meets Frederick eventually, no matter the world he appears in. * Like Victor, Henry feels as if Fred is familiar the moment he meets him--but unlike Victor, Henry has recognized Fred in verses that they have not met in (such as Heroverse v1, where he recognizes Fred at Victor's funeral). He is the only character to do this. * Henry shows equal parts disdain and pity for Victor, mirroring Helvah's original relationship with Vischias. As the abuse he undergoes never quite reaches Original Timeline levels, he usually remains sympathetic to some degree. The better understanding of mental illness in the modern time adds to this, but mostly it's due to simple empathy. Victor is suffering, and Henry can tell. In some way or another, he always tries to help him.